Cross Roads
by FirstLove15
Summary: Takes place after the latest Ep. "Daddy Issues" As usual I'm taking it in a Damon/Elena direction. I'm also re introducing Elena finding out about Damon's forgotten confession. This is my version of what happens after the last episode. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Vampire Diaries or it's characters in any way. Nor do I own any works of E.E Cummings. This work is strictly fan based. Hope you enjoy. **

Driving home the next morning after my sleepover with the girls I couldn't help but to smile. Although Caroline was very shaken up and needed some comforting, over all it felt really good to be all together again. I couldn't help but to feel a tiny bit of sadness, because it took our sleepover to realize how much things had really changed. We had truly grown in many different ways. Sometimes I felt like there was nothing but trouble on the horizon for us these days and that might even be completely true. But somehow I still felt happy. I had Stefan, who was, as always, wonderful. I had my family and my friends.

I pulled into the driveway at my house and walked in. I heard voices in the kitchen and it only took a second to recognize Damon's voice along with John. I walked into where they stood. John stood at the counter while Damon leaned casually against the fridge. I noticed that their conversation ended as soon as I appeared in the room.

"What's going on?" I asked, slightly annoyed at the secrecy.

"Oh, John and I are just plotting." Damon answered with a smirk. "Well, he's plotting against the werewolves...and I'm plotting against him." Damon's smirk turned into a sparkling smile as he looked over at John. John sighed and shook his head as if he were done dealing with Damon for the day.

"Elena, I'm going to grab some food for the house, to hopefully make Jenna a little more pleased with my stay. Want to come?" John asked.

"I'm sure it won't work and no." I said acidly.

John had amazing resilience and patience. We worked really hard to make him feel unwanted but it never seemed to deter him from making himself at home. He smiled and kept on walking and then he was gone from the house.

"That was quite the Kodak moment." Damon said slipping on his jacket. "I'll see you later." He said beginning to walk by to leave as well. Something was strange about Damon. He seemed almost like he was in a hurry to leave because it was just the two of us and I wasn't sure when Damon had become uncomfortable around me. Or uncomfortable in any situation for that matter.

"Hey, wait...uh. I was wanting to ask you how you're doing." I said, shoving my hands in my back pockets and walking closer to Damon, who was now stuck awkwardly reaching out for the doorknob.

"Well, I'm doing fine Elena how are you?" Damon answered sarcastically with a tight smile.

"I'm being serious Damon, how are you holding up, after Rose and everything?" I asked.

"What is it going to take to make people leave me alone about that?" He shook his head smiling, as if it were a ridiculous notion that he would be upset.

"I guess it's going to take you acting like you care, because I know you do." I said. He stood looking at me for a moment and then took a few steps toward me, opening his mouth to speak but a knock at the door interrupted him. I reached out to open the door but Damon suddenly jerked me back. His eyes piercing through the small window by the door.

"What are you doing?" I asked confused.

"It's Elijah." Damon said gravely.

"Okay, fine! Open the door." I said.

"I don't trust him Elena." Damon said.

"Well, I have to trust him right now, and he's here to see me, not you, so open the door." I ordered growing angry. Damon's eyes flashed a brilliant frustration but he swung the door open, his eyes boring into Elijah as a silent warning.

"Nice to see you again Damon, is Elena here?" Elijah asked, with all the commercial politeness in the world.

"What do you want with her?" Damon challenged.

I rolled my eyes and ducked under Damon's guarding arm.

"Elijah, hi. Come on in." I said.

Damon reluctantly moved out of the way.

"I assure you I mean no harm Damon, I just needed to speak with Elena...alone if you don't mind." Elijah said.

Damon smiled dangerously. "Oh, Elijah...I do mind. A lot."

"Damon, please. Just go okay. I'm heading to the boarding house right after this so I'll see you very soon okay?" I said.

Damon sighed, looking at me for a few moments.

"Fine...I'll be expecting you very soon than." Damon said looking away from me and to Elijah. Once he was gone I sighed out of relief.

I looked at Elijah who was smiling.

"I'm so sorry about that. He's a little on edge. He just lost a good friend and I think he's just angry." I explained.

"That friend you're referring to, would that be Rose?" Elijah asked.

"Yes." I answered.

"Hmm, that's a shame." Elijah said but still managed to look amused. "But it's not anger that's got him on edge. He's just in love with you." Elijah said.

I was almost physically knocked off my feet. "I'm sorry what did you say?" I said.

"I said, he's in love with you." Elijah smiled.

"Damon is not inlove me, you're mistaken. I mean he's a had a little crush in the past but no more than that."

"Believe what you want." Elijah shrugged still smiling.

I felt myself growing angry.

"What is it that you came here for Elijah?" I asked.

"I just wanted to make sure everything was okay, make sure everyone is in tact and that I've done good at keeping up my end of the bargain." Elijah said.

"Yes, everything is fine, for the most part. So if that's all you wanted to talk about then I need to get going." I said. I grabbed my jacket off of the coat rack.

We walked outside.

"Bye." I said as I headed for my car.

"It's funny isn't it?" Elijah said suddenly after I had turned my back to him.

I turned back around to face him.

"What?"

"The similarities between you and the Salvatore's and Katherine." Elijah smiled.

"So I've heard a hundred times before. But it's not quite exactly the same, and you know what I mean by that." I said sharply.

"Not yet." He said, grinning.

I rolled my eyes.

"From what I've heard, time has very much taken a toll on the brothers. Stefan is a lot nicer these days. And Damon, well...he's gathered quite a different reputation for himself. He wasn't always like the way he is now. But...I am going by hearsay...so who knows." Elijah shrugged.

"Yeah...who knows." I repeated.

I pulled into the driveway at the boarding house just as Stefan was calling me.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"I just got to the Boarding House, where are you?" I asked shutting my car door.

"I'm so sorry. I've gotten a little hung up. I'm with Alaric right now. He's a little shaken up about John being in town and he's starting to feel like he's going to have to tell Jenna the truth about everything." Stefan explained.

"No!" I said, feeling panic rising.

"Exactly." Stefan said. "I'm going to be a while. But go on in, make yourself comfortable."

"Alright, I love you Stefan."

"Love you to."

I walked in the door and shut it and made my way into the living room.

"I see you survived." Damon said. I watched him quickly close a book and slide it back on the shelf.

"Yeah, he just wanted to make sure everything was alright. I guess he caught news of the attack. I still can't get over how many werewolves are out there." I said.

"Yeah, that's why I'm more of a cat person." Damon smiled.

I couldn't help but to laugh as I sat down on the couch.

Damon grabbed a remote and switched on the tv and sat on the couch next to me.

"Damon?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Do you think now that they know you personally killed Mason, that they will come after you again?" I asked.

"Probably." Damon said, almost sounding amused.

I guess my face showed worry cause when he looked over at me he laughed lightly.

"Don't worry Elena, I've pissed off a lot of people in the past, and I've always managed to escape." He smiled and nudged me with his shoulder.

Something about the feeling that he had just given me made me think of Katherine. It made me wonder off in my head. I began to think about what it must have been like all those decades ago when she had the hearts of both Damon and Stefan. How easy it may have been to wind up in that situation. Then fear as to why I would let my mind travel down that road snapped my thoughts in half and they retracted away in a split second. I looked over at Damon who was flipping carelessly through the stations. I wondered what he was reading in that book. Then there was a knock at the door. Damon got up and opened it.

I heard him speaking to someone but it was obvious that they weren't coming inside. I got up and made my way over to the book shelf. I remembered it was the old powder blue book that had obviously faded in it's color with age. I picked it up and saw a the page dogeared where he had obviously looked at that page many times. I opened it to an E.E Cummings poem. I read:

Somewhere I have never traveled, gladly beyond  
any experience,your eyes have their silence:  
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,  
or which I cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look will easily un close me  
though I have closed myself as fingers,  
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens  
(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose

I ran my finger over the line 'Your slightest look will easily un close me' It was a beautiful line, powerful. It was tender. And judging by the page being more worn than the rest...this meant something to him. I heard the door creaking shut and I quickly placed the book back on the shelf.

"Who was that?" I asked casually crossing the living room back towards the couch. We both sat back down.

"It was sheriff Forbes. We have to have a council meeting tomorrow to discuss all these recent murders." He said kicking his feet up on the table in front of him.

"When is this town not having a crisis?" I said shaking my head.

He laughed lightly. "Yeah, maybe we should all pack up and move to Barcelona."

I smiled. "I wish John would pack up and leave. I hate him being around. I've can hardly stand it." I said hearing my voice break the tiniest bit. I guess Damon took notice of it because he suddenly put his arm around me. And out of frustration and weariness I leaned into his side letting myself be comforted by his embrace. And before I knew it my lids grew heavy, my eyes fluttered shut and I was off in a soundless sleep in only a few minutes.

**I hope you are enjoying this. I know it has started off slow but if you've read any of my other work you know it won't stay that way for long lol. Let me know what you thing, please please leave reviews. Thanks. **

**Alexis**


	2. Chapter 2

I sprang from sleep, realizing I had fallen asleep on Damon. But I realized he wasn't there. He had been replaced by a pillow and a blanket. I reached for my phone and looked at the clock. It was only 10:30 am. I decided just to leave and come back when Stefan got here. I got up and grabbed my keys and turned towards the door when something caught my eye and I turned and looked out of the back french doors. I saw Damon walking a distance away towards the woods. I turned to leave but curiosity got the best of me and I sat my keys down and left out of the french doors to follow Damon. I made sure he stayed several yards in front of me so that he didn't see me. We began into the woods and walked on for what seemed like forever. Finally when I came to a small clearing still shadowed by the canopy of the trees I saw that Damon had sat down with his back against a tree. He looked several feet ahead of him at a small rose bush standing out vibrantly against the dark green woods. Roses in full bloom.

I took one step and a stick snapped under my weight. Damon was on his feet and standing not far from me in a matter of seconds looking shocked.

"I- I'm sorry...I was just coming to see where you were going." I said quietly.

"Okay stalker." He smirked clearly amused at what I had done.

"Is that where you put rose?" I asked

"Yeah, I was just making sure everything was okay out here." He said looking back at the roses.

"Damon that's really sweet. Was it hard for you to-?" I couldn't finish my sentence, I merely gestured towards the ground.

"Stefan did it for me, he had to burn her and then he buried her. I just put the roses out here."

As Damon spoke I noticed he suddenly sounded like an insecure boy he looked at the ground as he spoke rubbing the dirt around with the toe of his shoe. That little gesture was a hurricane of information. Somewhere along the way, over the last week Damon's shell had cracked. He was no longer as secure as he used to be, as sure as he wanted to feel, or as strong as everybody saw him.

"You loved her." I whispered.

He was silent for a long moment, I listened to the wind play with the trees and the birds calling out to each other.

"In a way, yes." He answered. "But really she just...distracted me." He said

"From what?" I asked.

He narrowed his eyes at me as if he were really trying to see something. Then as if he gave up, he shrugged

"Life." He answered simply.

"Damon you can tell me what's really going on in your mind." I reached up and touched his arm

and he looked at my hand. Then when his eyes reached back to mine we stood in silence for what seemed like forever. Locked eyes turned into a lingering gaze. My stomach flipped with nervousness.

Why was I doing this? Then my cell phone went off and I jumped as it startled me. I regained my focus.

"I'm sorry." I whispered to Damon as I answered the phone.

"Elena, it's Bonnie...Jeremy was in a small car accident...can you come to the hospital?"

"What!...Yeah..yeah, I'll be there." I said hanging up.

"What's the matter?" Damon asked.

"Jeremy's in the hospital." I said. I turned and took off running towards the house. Damon ran along side me but I could tell it was taking concentration for him to keep a slow pace with me.

We jumped in the car and made to the hospital not long after that. When we got close to the entrance Damon stopped.

"Go on in, I'll park the car and meet you in a minute." Damon said.

"Okay thanks." I jumped out of the car and ran in. I got the room number from the receptionist in the front. I made my way to his room. Jenna was already there along with Bonnie, Caroline and...Alaric.

Jeremy was sitting up in bed laughing and it instantly eased my mind.

"What happened?" I asked as I came up to Jeremy.

"Oh, somebody ran a red light and hit us but it wasn't too bad, don't worry." Jeremy smiled as I leaned in to hug him. Then I realized he said us. I was just about to ask who he was talking about when Bonnie walked up to the side of the bed and I noticed she was wearing a bandage around her head like a sweat band. And the way her eyes caught mine, I knew she was silently confessing that she was with Jeremy, like really with Jeremy. I smiled, not really knowing what else to do. I wasn't sure if I was happy, mad, sad or just confused. I turned and walked into the hallway and spotted Alaric at the vending machine at the end of the hall. I walked to him just as his soda tumbled to the bottom.

"Hey Alaric."

"Oh, hey Elena."

"Where's Stefan?" I asked.

"Umm, I don't know." He said.

"You haven't seen him?" I asked.

"Not today." Alaric looked confused.

"Oh...okay." I said, my stomach crashing.

"Did he say he was with me?" Alaric asked.

"I might have just heard him wrong." I said making an obvious excuse.

"Oh Elena, I'm really sorry, I haven't even spoken to him." Alaric sounded truly apologetic.

My stomach twisted and I suddenly felt ill. Stefan had lied to me, Bonnie and Jeremy had hidden something from me. I felt tears stinging my eyes, but I was trying to fight them off.

I saw Damon making his way down the hall towards me.

"Damon!" I called. He saw me and made his way over to me.

"How Jeremy?" He asked.

"He's fine, apparently him and Bonnie have something going on." I told Damon.

Damon looked at me for a second as if he didn't know what to say. Then he suddenly grinned.

"Hmm Scandalous." He said with sarcastically. I smiled and suddenly felt somewhat better. Somehow Damon had put a little light on the situation.

"Where's Stefan?" Damon asked looking around.

"That's a very good question." I said feeling that negativity return.

I guess Damon sensed my tension cause he squeezed my shoulder.

"It's all going to be fine, Elena." He said. Without even thinking I leaned in a hugged him tightly. It seemed like it lasted a while but then my phone vibrated a text.

It was from Stefan. He was telling me he would be at the Boarding House soon.

I rolled my eyes and jammed my cell phone in my pocket. I would make him wonder where I was.

"Hey, where's your necklace?" Damon asked, eying the vacant space at my neck.

"Oh, I've been drinking vervain a little each day. I figured it was safer because a necklace can be taken off at any point." I explained.

"Yeah, we learned that lesson when I found your necklace and had to bring it back to you." Damon said.

I nodded. "Yeah it was a nice gesture for Stefan to give it to me but..."

I looked up at Damon in shock as I felt my body go cold but my face begin to burn.

It only took a split second of the expression on Damon's face to realize he knew he had made a mistake by saying what he just had.

"What do you mean you brought me back the necklace?" I asked. Damon opened his mouth to speak...but the prince of wit...and snappy comebacks finally had nothing to say.

"Damon, I have wondered night and day about how this necklace wound up on my neck without me knowing who did it or how it happened. I even wondered if I was going crazy." I said fuming.

"Why don't I remember!" I nearly yelled at Damon.

He face took on a pained look. He took a few steps back. The he looked at me.

"I compelled you." He said.

My mouth literally dropped open. I was truly shocked. My heart hammered in my chest and the tears began to form again.

"You...did ...what!" I began to back away from him. But he matched my steps coming towards me.

"Elena, I swear I didn't do anything..."

"NO! Just...stop talking to me! I can't believe you would do that!" I back away quicker and took off running. I ran all the way out into the parking lot, forgetting that Damon had parked the car. I began to search frantically but Damon caugfht up to me and jerked me around by my shoulder.

"Elena, listen to me!"

"No get off me! I hate you!" Then without thinking I opened my hand and slapped Damon as hard as I could.

I took off running again and reached my car. I turned around and realized Damon hadn't followed me. Instead he disappeared completely.

**I need your reviews :D**


	3. Chapter 3

School seemed like an impossible thing to get through considering yesterdays events weighing heavily on my mind. I hadn't seen or spoken to Damon since what he told me he had done. I had also ignored every text and phone call from Stefan since I realized he wasn't where he said he was.

However Bonnie was one of problems from yesterday that was faced head on as she scurried across the parking lot as I was trying to get to my car.

"Elena, look. Please let me explain." She said as I walked past her. I turned and looked at her.

"Bonnie, it's no big deal...I just don't understand why you were hiding it." I said.

"Elena, I know it sounds like a lie but I wasn't actually hiding anything. Jeremy and I have spent a little more time together recently, but it wasn't anything until yesterday." She explained.

"What happened yesterday?" I asked.

"We kissed." Bonnie said, for a moment a smile flared on her face that was a dead give away of just how happy she was. Then instantly she tried to extinguish it.

I couldn't help but to smile. She was sitting on cloud nine. She was truly happy and that made me happy.

"Bonnie, I don't want you to think I'm mad that you and Jeremy..have this...thing. I just don't want you to ever think you have to hide anything from me, okay?" I asked smiling back at her.

She nodded and hugged me tightly.

"So your okay with this?" She asked.

"It's kind of...weird...but actually...I think it's pretty awesome." I smiled.

She looked relieved. "Well, I'm actually about to go to the hospital and see him, want to come?" She asked.

"I am planning on going today so I'll probably see you there soon." I said.

"Okay great." She turned and left for her car.

I opened my car door when I heard his voice that sent my face hot with anger.

"Elena, wait." Stefan called.

Here we go, I thought.

I turned and glared at him as he came up to me.

"What." Was all I said.

"Elena, I'm so sorry about yesterday. I wasn't with Alaric like I said I was and I'm so sorry." Stefan said.

"So? Where were you?" I asked.

"I was...following John yesterday. I wanted to see if I could catch him doing something we should know about. No body trust him, and you've been upset since he's been here. Personally I feel guilty because I'm the one who brought him here." he explained.

"You only brought him here trying to help me." I said. "But why did you feel like you had to lie about that, why couldn't you just tell me instead of making up another story?"

"It seems like every time anyone in this town vocalizes a plan, it always get's found out. I really don't have good excuse Elena. But I'm truly sorry, and I miss you." He said. He looked miserable, even a little tired. I sighed feeling better about talking about it and I told him it was all okay by kissing him. But I still felt a little uneasy. This was the first time that I didn't completely trust Stefan. I didn't doubt his story about following John, but I did doubt his reasoning on not telling me.

That night as I laid in bed I couldn't stop thinking about what Elijah had said about Stefan and Damon being different. I couldn't even understand why it bothered me. It suddenly occurred to me, that if I wanted a real explanation for what Elijah had said, I would need to go to a closer source. Someone who knew them, then...and now. Katherine.

I was so thankful the next morning that it was a Saturday. Gave me plenty of time. I went by the hospital to see Jeremy. It wasn't until I was leaving I spotted Caroline breezing through the doors of the entrance, no doubt coming to see Jeremy.

"Oh, hey Elena!" She smiled brightly.

"Caroline, I was just about to come looking for you." I said.

Her bright smile fell quickly. "I know I've only visited once I'm sorry, I've just had a lot on my mind..."

I realized she thought I was coming to search her out to drag her in to see my brother. I laughed.

"Caroline, it's not about Jeremy. I was needing you to help me out with something...A secret something." I grinned.

"Really?" She asked looking intrigued and maybe a small bit amused.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you would go with me to see Katherine...Just to be on the safe side and I'll need your help getting in. I just need to talk to her. Given that she does talk to me at all."

Caroline replied by simply sticking out her arm for me to loop with mine as we left the hospital.

It was a couple of hours later. I had just touched the bottom of the tomb. I listened to the chalky echoes of my own feet as I walked to the open dark doorway.

"Katherine?" My voice sounded so hollow and lonely in the darkness, I second guessed asking Caroline to stay above. I heard something like a small rock fall in the darkness and then a slow shuffle. Then Katherine appeared in the doorway leaning against the wall in her languish form. Her face was more pale then I had ever seen, almost gray.

I pulled a bottle of blood out of my back and rocked it back and forth in my hand.

"I need to talk." I said.

. She looked down her nose at me as if I sickened her for me to be there, as if she hated me for bringing the blood to her. But I knew wanted nothing more then the blood in my hand and the only thing that made her sick was that I had the power over her because of that.

"What do you want?" She asked, her voice sounding scratchy and tired.

"Id like to know a little more about Stefan and Damon's past." I said.

I saw her smile weakly. Not as if she thought my request was funny, but as if she were simply remembering her past.

"And what about that would you like to know?" She asked. "When I was with them, or what I saw of them after my supposed death?"

"I've just heard that Stefan and Damon are a lot different these days, I'm just wondering how different." I said. "I mean, Stefan has let me know that he's not particularly proud of his past but...I don't know." I said starting to question why I was here.

I reached in my bag and and pulled out another bottle that only had a little blood. I tossed it to her. "This is just to perk you up. I'll give you the full one after." I said.

Katherine drank down what I gave her desperately. She sank back into the wall with a sigh and for what seemed like forever we both sat there in perfect silence.

"Stefan was a lot of things back then that you wouldn't believe. He was selfish, smug, controlling, a liar and would do anything he had to, to get what he wanted. He was absolutely fascinated with the idea of becoming a vampire. He was hellbent on becoming one." Katherine said.

"That doesn't sound anything like him." I said feeling my face grow with anger.

Katherine shrugged. "It's the truth. What's the worst thing he ever told you he did?" Katherine asked me.

"Besides telling me he killed his own father, and other innocent people..he told me he pretty much forced Damon to turn." I said.

"Oh yeah, Damon is a different story. It's too bad he couldn't have always been like he is now...it's kind of hot." Katherine smiled.

"Yeah, what is it with Damon? I can't imagine him being anything different then what he is now." I said.

Katherine shook her head. "Oh no. You see Stefan was the bad boy. Stefan was my heated lover, he was blood thirsty, power hungry. He saw me as an opportunity. I believe he loved me, but it wasn't long before I started to realize he probably just loved me for the opportunity that I held. Damon was different. Damon really did love me. The whole moonlight, starry eyes, love sick kind of love. He loved me for what he wanted me to be. He knew I was selfish and spoiled and a tease. But I think he thought once we were to settle down together that I would also settle down and be the honest, humble and sweet good hearted girl he wanted me to be." Katherine smiled lightly as if she were thinking back to that time.

"So what you're saying is that you don't think either one of them truly loved you. I mean if Stefan just wanted an opportunity and Damon just wanted a better version of who you really are..." I said.

She just shrugged. " Damon has always been somewhat conceited, charming and very persuasive. But he was the gentle one. The truly kind and caring person that someone lame like you would get along with. But I guess over time, Damon got very angry and hurt and Stefan just toned down a bit. It's kind of funny to think about." Katherine smiled.

I looked at her for a minute. "So I'm guessing that Stefan wanting you for what you were is the reason why you came back and claimed you wanted him. Because you know Damon did in a way love you. But you're trying to prove to yourself that Stefan loved you. You can't handle rejection." I said, knowing I might have been crossing the line.

She stared at me silently for a long moment. "You are truly lucky to be loved by either one." Katherine said with such seriousness it caught my breath. But before I could say anything she turned and left into the darkness. I realized she hadn't even stuck around for the blood. I put it in there anyway and left.

I walked through the front door of the boarding house when no one answered. I wanted to talk to Stefan. I missed things feeling normal, and now after talking to Katherine it made things feel even more strange.

"Hello?" I called into the silent house. The lights were on in the living room and the fire place was lit but it was empty. Then Damon entered the living room wearing jeans and slipping on a dark blue tee shirt. I noticed his hair was wet so I realized he must have been in the shower.

"Elena." Damon said looking surprised to see me.

"I'm here to see Stefan, where is he?" I said, being short with Damon. This was the first time we had spoken since he told me he had compelled me to forget him returning my necklace.

"He went out mauling small woodland creatures, he'll be back soon." Damon said rolling his eyes and walking past me, I could tell he was disappointed in my shortness with him.

I sat down on the arm of the couch, holding my sweater in my arms. I wanted to make a b-line upstairs to Stefan's room to escape Damon being around but because I was still weirded out by Stefan's behavior yesterday I didn't even feel comfortable doing that. The flat screen in the living room showed a football game on and I concentrated as hard as I could on the announcers talking. Then Damon came storming in the room and was suddenly standing between me and the tv. I looked up to see his expression. He looked truly annoyed.

"I really want to watch this game... but I can't see the television through the tension in the room...so..if we can find a way to cut that with a knife that be great." Damon said,

"Just watch the game and leave me alone." I said icily.

He nodded and smiled as if he had predicted that's what I would say. I watched him walk over to the bar, grab a glass and pour some scotch. He picked up the glass and just as it reached his lips he looked at me...put the glass back down and poured a little more. He drank over half the glass.

"Elena, seriously..." Damon began again.

"You know what, this was a mistake." I said standing up and bolting for the front door. But suddenly Damon grabbed my arm and I spun around to see Damon looking more serious than usual. His eyes were on fire with sadness and intensity.

"Look Elena, I know that you feel betrayed and victimized and the whole pity package..I get that..but let me make one thing clear Elena. I would never...EVER...do anything to hurt you. You have to understand that." Damon pleaded, shaking my arm as his eyes bored into mine.

"Then tell me why you made me forget." I said as calmly as I could. I took in the details of his dark shiny hair whisking around his face, and how blue his eyes were, and how his cheeks were slightly pink and how I wanted so badly for him to tell me the truth.

He pressed his lips together in what seemed like anger or regret. Then suddenly the front door was opening, Damon released my arm and smiled and my heart was sinking.

"Elena, hey." Stefan said smiling as he came in.

I looked back at Damon's face, a face that was smiling casually as if he had just popped another sarcastic line or told a good joke but it was heavily laced in the sadness that he felt, the regret that he had and the secret I knew he would soon spill.

**Please leave reviews, I need some motivation lol Hope your enjoying. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Just a note: The end of this when she is walking into the parking lot is written to Ocean Wide by The Afters**

I lay there staring at the dark beams of Stefan's ceiling. The moon light flowed through the window, so bright it covered the floor in a luminescent light.

"You okay?" Stefan asked beside me.

"I'm fine, why?" I answered trying to ignore his eyes studying me out of the corner of my eye.

"You just seem distracted." Stefan shrugged.

I took a deep breath and sighed letting my head fall deeper into the pillow behind my head.

"I talked to Katherine today." I said reluctantly.

Stefan was silent for so long that I thought he might have fallen asleep. I looked over at him, but instead he was just staring at me questionably.

"Why would you go talk to her? Did you go alone?" He asked sounding alarmed.

"No, Caroline went with me." I said.

"Okay...that only answers one of my questions." Stefan said.

"I went for answers. I wanted to know about you and Damon's past. From someone who doesn't care how I feel about them." I answered.

"What exactly did you want to know?" He asked.

"I wanted to know what kind of person you were. What kind of person Damon was. I mean you told me yourself you've done things you weren't proud of and you have even told me a few of them. I even heard that Damon wasn't at all how he is today. I just wanted the truth." I said.

Stefan was silent for another moment and then he leaned up on his arm to get a better look at my face.

"Elena, your right...I'm not exactly proud of my past but that does not mean I wouldn't tell you the truth if you asked. You don't ever have to rely on anyone else to do that. Especially Katherine."

"What did you do to Damon?" I asked.

His face fell troubled. " I did a lot of things Elena, unforgivable things to him. He wanted nothing to do with being a vampire, and I forced his hand. And then through his pain of dealing with it he spent years trying to keep me under control, to get me to stop hurting and killing people. He tried to teach me other ways to survive that didn't require human bloodshed. But I pushed it all back into his face, and defied him over and over. Eventually he gave up and we went our separate ways for a while. Normal humans can be bitter from something that happened to them, and it gets worse as they get older. But eventually humans die and they take their bitterness to the grave where it's silenced. But Damon has lived on and his bitterness has grown and grown. Then he found out Katherine had lied and things just got worse." He explained.

I nodded and thought about it for a while. A picture was forming in my head. Of a selfish, cold hearted vampire that did what he wanted to, to anyone. A monster capable of causing death and pain all for his own simple pleasure. Stefan.

Then I began to wonder how I had the right to judge Damon so harshly while holding Stefan on such pedestal. Because when it came down to the harshest truth. Stefan was worse. Because he did the same things Damon has done and tore Damon down until he became what he is.

"Have you ever considered apologizing to Damon?" I asked.

"I have. What is this new fascination with Damon?" Stefan asked. There was an edge to his voice I had never heard before. Jealousy.

"It's not a fascination, I'm just trying to see the big picture." I said.

"Elena, I know I lied to you about where I was yesterday...but I told you the truth and it won't happen again okay? You don't have to worry." He said.

I smiled at him even though I didn't feel it inside. But I let him kiss me anyway.

The next morning as I was leaving the boarding house I was putting on my jacket by the door when I heard talking down the hall. I looked down and saw a girl walking out Damon's room. He walked out behind her. I recognized her. She was the news anchor. She was laughing about somehting he had said.

"Oh hi!" She smiled brightly once she saw me.

"Hi." I said feeling like I wanted to disappear.

"You must be Elena. I'm Andie!" She smiled again and reached out to shake my hand.

I nodded and shook her hand.

"Nothing like an early morning meet and greet. Your going to be late." Damon said spinning her around to see his face.

"Yes, your right, I am." She giggled stupidly and kissed Damon quickly. "See you tonight?" She asked.

"I might be busy." Damon said, clearly trying to hide the annoyance on his face with an overdone fake smile.

"Well, we'll see about that." She laughed and touched his nose with the tip of her finger then walked out the door.

Once she was gone I raised my eyebrows at Damon.

"I was bored." He shrugged smiling.

"I know." I said smiling back. "I just hope this isn't the Caroline situation again." I said remembering how he had once used Caroline to feed off of.

"Geez Elena, do you have any faith in me at all?" He asked.

"Yes." I answered seriously.

His smile faded and he looked at me seriously for a very long silent moment.

"Well, it is like the Caroline situation...so ...your faith is in vain." He said turning and walking away.

"No...it's not." I said. He stopped walking and turned back to look at me. I waved small and walked out the front door.

I went home and took a long shower. Jenna let me know that the schools were closed on Monday for a teachers planning day. I couldn't help but to be horribly relieved considering I had enough on my mind at the time.

Later on in the afternoon I went to the hospital to see Jeremy. They were planning on releasing him the next day. I was glad. The house was too quiet without him. After a while the nurse came in and said that visiting hours would be over in half an hour. I gave Jeremy and Bonnie a hug and left to give them a few minutes alone before she had to leave. I made my way downstairs and out into the parking lot. I got the parking furthest back toward the woods edge. The sun was sinking behind the trees and the sky was pink and purple. The air felt perfect and for the first time in a few days I took a deep breath that actually felt like it went deep enough. I felt a sort of relief and comfort. I made it to my car. I got out my keys to unlock it.

"I'm sorry Elena." I heard him say softly behind me. I dropped my keys and turned startled.

"Damon?" I said.

He held my gaze for a moment. His face was more serious than usual.

"I just...I never meant to upset you, and I'm sorry." He said.

My heart began to beat faster. But I wasn't scared. My stomach felt strange. It was when he stepped closer to me that I recognized it as butterflies.

"Damon, I just want the truth." I said.

He smiled very lightly. I noticed the purple and pink of the sky reflecting in his eyes making the blue of them stand out all the more. He nodded and looked to the ground.

"Damon..." I reached out and lifted his chin to make him face me again. "Please." I whispered.

He reached up and moved my hand from his face but held on to it for a second watching his fingers run through mine.

Then when his eyes returned back to mine they were bright with tears. It took me a moment to get over the shock of the look on his face, and the beauty it held,that made it self so clear in that moment.

"I love you." He said almost in whisper. His voice shook with sincerity.

I was speechless.

"I compelled you to forget that I told you that. That I ….love you."

I closed my eyes when I felt him run his fingers into my hair. I opened them back. He began to turn. To leave. To walk away. But I grabbed his shirt.

He turned back to me, his eyes full of tears.

"Damon..." I began, but realized I was truly stunned and the only thing I knew in that moment was that I didn't want him to walk away.

Not knowing what else to do I fell into him and hugged him close to me. But then suddenly the seemingly dream like state I was in ended when I saw about three people standing right inside the woods. I recognized the girl standing there. Jules. The werewolf. I jerked back from Damon but before I could say anything I heard a gun fire and suddenly Damon was falling into me.

"Damon!" I screamed. I began to panic as I saw them lower the gun and begin towards us. I scrambled for my keys on the ground while trying to hold Damon up. He was barely conscious. I Grabbed them and began to unlock the drivers side door. But my hand was shaking so bad I dropped the keys again. Then Damon was being taken out of my arms. Jules eyes pierced mine as she smiled at me. The guy beside her was already beginning to walk off with Damon.

"What are you doing!" I screamed.

"Quiet Elena. I can't have you drawing attention to us." She warned.

"What is this!" I yelled again.

"It's an execution. That's what you get for murder." She snapped.

"Being him back!" I yelled again reaching past her. But she pushed me back.

"Hey, you should consider yourself lucky. We had your little boyfriend the other day. But he assured us he had nothing to do with Mason's death and told us Damon was the one to look for. Of course by the looks of things...I'm confused about who's your boyfriend." Jules grinned.

"You had Stefan? The other day?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"He told you to come get Damon?"

"Yeah." Jules rolled her eyes. She turned and began to walk off but I followed her.

"Where are you taking him?" I demanded.

She ignored me so I ran after her.

"Go home Elena." Jules warned.

"No!" I yelled.

"Fine. Then your going with us and when were done, we'll let you go." She said. Then as if she had signaled someone a guy came behind me, grabbed my arm and guided me to where they were going...to kill Damon.

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	5. Chapter 5

My legs were numb and sore from the walk through the woods. Everyone was silent, and so was I. I just kept my focus on Damon's limp body ahead of me as they dragged him along. The man that had been pulling me along the whole time had gripped my arm so tight it had become sore and weak.

"If you're so determined to kill Damon, then why didn't you kill him back in the parking lot?" I asked Jules, who was walking not far from me.

"Because, we intend to make his death as horrible as he made Mason's. It's only fair." Jules grinned.

I scrambled against the mans grip on my arm out of anger. I wanted to try to talk down Jules. But right as I slipped out of his grasp I was struck in the back of my head and I was met with blindness as I sunk in unconsciousness.

I opened my eyes, my lashes fluttering rapidly as I tried to pull the lights and shapes into focus. I then saw a blue shape and I focused on it. I felt something uncomfortable underneath me. Uneven ground, tree root, rock. I was outside. The shape of blue finally came into focus, it was Damon's blue button down shirt. There was a make shift cage built strongly, purposefully around Damon and I. Right outside of there camper. I noticed that Damon was still unconscious. He was leaning against the thick metal beams that surrounded us. As soon as I could feel my arms and legs coming back to life I began to crawl over to him. I was scared and I knew I would feel better if Damon would just wake up. I made it to him and touched his chest.

"Damon?" I whispered. "Damon, wake up."

His face instantly came from unconsciousness to pain in a matter of seconds. Without even opening his eyes, he cringed against pain from his back where they shot him. I heard him groan but there were words amongst it but I couldn't make it out. Then he leaned forward, reached his hand behind him and pulled out the wooden bullet they had shot into him. He flicked it away from him and leaned against the wall in a sigh. His eyes focused on me then.

"Elena? What happened?" He asked weakly.

"They shot you, the werewolves. They're trying to get you back for Mason." I explained.

He looked at me for a moment and then stood up. He instantly gripped the bars that trapped us and looked around trying to find an escape, but there was no escape to be made.

"I'm getting a little tired of this werewolf thing, it's really played out." He said sarcastically. "Are you okay?" He asked me, suddenly seeming concerned for the first time about the situation we were in. He looked me over for any sign of harm.

"I'm fine." I said.

He nodded. "I'll kill them all before their done taking us out of this cage." He said grinning. "It's not even close to a full moon."

"Damon, their angry...you have to remember that." I said.

"I don't care, their stupid for even trying this, and they know it." He said shaking the bars and grinning, as if he were preparing for a fight.

A man then suddenly walked out from around the camper holding a gun pointed right at us.

Then Jules came around the corner followed by the other guy that had pulled me the whole way through the woods.

"Hello, Damon..." Jules smiled.

"It's a pleasure Jules, really. But I'm going to kill you and all your little friends as soon as you try to take me out of here." Damon said with a steady smile on his face.

"We thought about that Damon. You are fast, strong...and pretty smart. But right at the last minute we actually got pretty lucky. You want to know why?" Jules asked.

"Fill me in Jules." Damon said, his confidence never wavering.

She smiled even brighter which is what scared me. She leaned into the bars and motioned with her hand for Damon to lean in to, which was a realization for me that she had a little secret that she didn't want me to know about.

I saw her whisper into Damon's ear. I finally became scared. I was scared because Damon's confidence, his unfaltering, un-threatened face suddenly fell with her secret message. His grin disappeared. I felt like Damon's will to fight was suddenly extinguished, like a flame between condemning fingers. She backed away and his sky blue eyes were locked on hers in complete seriousness.

"So...this is you're death sentence. You have thirty minutes to say goodbye." Jules announced out loud for us both to hear. Then she turned and left, along with everyone else. As soon as we were alone again I turned my frightened eyes back to him.

"Damon, we have to do something." I said.

He half smiled and nodded. "Don't worry Elena, you'll be fine." He said leaning casually against the bars.

"It's not me that I'm so much worried about, they're after you, Damon. You have to think of something. Maybe we should start digging, this soil isn't so hard...they obviously put this up pretty quickly, so I'm sure we could get out before they made it out here to take you." I said. I looked down and began to dig into the soil with the heel of my shoe. I looked up and noticed Damon was still leaning casually against the bars watching me quietly, unmoving.

"Well, come on!" I said, raising my voice in anger. I leaned down, desperately trying to dig with my hands. I felt Damon touch my shoulder and I stood straight up and looked at him.

"Why aren't you even trying?" I asked.

He shrugged and then was silent. I watched him not sure what to think.

"Damon, come on." I said pointing at the ground.

When he didn't answer I walked closer to him until I was looking up right at him. As he looked out into the woods beyond our prison I studied the way his hair fell, the way his eyes shown, the way his lips fell into a pout. He looked...defeated. It was a brand new look for him.

"Damon?"

His eyes finally rested on mine.

"What's going on?" I asked.

He smiled sweetly. "I want you to know that I'm sorry for what I've done. I've done bad things...I just want you to know that I'm sorry for them."

"What?" I asked, confused. Why wasn't he digging, fighting?

He took a step closer to me. "I want you to tell baby brother I forgive him, for the whole turning me thing and that I needed him too." He said.

It was in that moment that I realized Damon was passing on his last words. He was saying he was sorry, giving forgiveness. He was...giving up.

"Damon, don't be ridiculous." I hissed, stepping closer to him until we here less than a foot apart. "Just start digging. We can be out of here in minutes." I ordered. I reached down for the soil. I reached down to remove it, to rip it away so Damon and I could reach the open woods before they knew what was happening. I could already feel the feeling of freedom as we pumped our legs as hard as they would go towards home. But that brief feeling of relief was interrupted when Damon blocked my hand from returning to the forest floor and instead, pulled it towards him until I was standing right in front of him again.

"Most of all, I just want you to know...that I love you. You can be anything. You're smart, beautiful, funny, you're...everything...to me." Damon ran his finger across my cheek.

"Damon stop it!" I nearly yelled.

His face fell.

"Why are you doing this?" I choked.

His brows pulled together in confusion. "What?"

"You're saying goodbye." I said as my vision began to blur with tears.

"Elena, I'm just trying to be practical, okay? I killed Mason, here I am. It's the only thing to expect right now." He said.

"No! A minute ago you were ready to fight. Then she whispered one thing to you and you're suddenly saying your goodbyes. What did she say?" I asked.

Damon was looking around nervously, obviously afraid that they would here what I had said.

The his eyes locked back on mine. He stood for a long moment, just looking at into my eyes. I fell into a trance, a butterfly filled trance letting him look that deep into me. I heard the lightest sound of fresh rain begin to hit the ground.

"She said that if I resisted, even the slightest bit that they would kill you before they killed me." He explained.

I felt a chill rock through me. The rain began to pour. "So what, you've gone through a lot of threats before...you've always managed to get out of it." I said.

"It's different, Elena." Damon said, looking frustrated.

The rain began to pour harder. The wind picked up blowing it towards us. My hair was already dripping, my cloths beginning to feel heavy. I couldn't handle what I felt coming from the back of my mind. I dropped to my knees again. I began to dig desperately.

"Damon, Now! Just Dig!" I screamed.

His eyes looked pained as they looked down at me scraping they mud away from the walls of the bars.

He knelt down to me.

"This is different, Elena." He repeated.

"How is this different?" I said, my vision blurring completely. I could feel the tears running down to my chin.

"I die quietly, or we both die. Your going home tonight Elena." Damon said with pure determination in his voice.

"Just dig." I said with my last effort to ignore his resignation on life.

He shook his head.

I began to sob sitting back on my ankles. Damon pulled me into him. We sat for what seemed like a solid eight minutes just listening to the thunderstorm. Then I felt his hand rake over the back of my hair and he stood up looking out of our barred prison, as if to say 'I'm ready.'

I walked up to him and tugged on his shirt sleeve. He looked down at me, for the first time showing a slight bit of fear on his face.

"Damon, please. Please don't go." I said.

He looked angry for a second that I had said that. Then he took a deep breath as he slid his hand behind my neck...and he kissed me. Deeply. My knees grew weak from the shock and the tranquil feeling that overcame me. Then as if waking up from a nightmare I heard the squeaking of the cage door open. We both turned to find a guy walking in for Damon, and one behind him with a gun pointing straight at me.

I began to yell out in protest, I began to beg him to fight. But instead I was met with strangling tears in my throat. I watched him look at me as they jerked him out of the cage.

Jules came out and grabbed me by the arm. She led me in behind them. Once we made it inside I saw the chair where they had sat Damon and had already wrapped chains around him. They dumped a cup of straight vervain down his chest. His teeth clenched tightly together, he groaned tilting his head back.

"Stop it!" I screamed.

"Mmm No. I gave you time to talk. Now it's time to stand by and watch." Jules said looking at me.

"No Jules, please stop this." I begged.

"No...just look at him." Jules demanded, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at him. Just in time to see one of the guy stab him in the stomach with a sharp steel pipe.

I screamed although I didn't mean to. Damon writhed in pain, bound to chair.

"Get her out." Damon managed to groan through the pain.

"Shut up." The other guys said splashing another glass of vervain over him.

"Stop!" I screamed again. They all looked at me.

"He wants her out, we made a deal." Jules said to the other guys.

"Okay fine, get her out." One of the guys said.

Jules began to tug me out as I heard them begin to hurt Damon more.

"Damon!" I yelled. I saw him, even through his immense pain try to look over at me.

I walked back towards him but suddenly I slipped on something and landed on my knees right beside the chair Damon was in. I looked down and realized it was his blood.

"Elena, what are you doing? Just get out of here okay?" Damon begged through his pain.

"No...Damon. I love you." I said though thick tears.

He looked over at me, his face stricken with pain and disbelief.

"Oh look at that Salvatore. Someone actually loves you." The man said standing in front of Damon, smiling wildly. Then suddenly a heard glass shattering, and there was Elijah.

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	6. Chapter 6

The relief of seeing Elijah washed away just as quickly when the guy standing in front of Damon turned and stabbed Elijah directly in the heart with a wooden stake. Elijah fell to the ground and faded into a gray color before my eyes. It was only in the very back of my mind that I remembered Elijah would soon come back to life. Until then I was doomed to look on in horror as they tortured Damon.

"Well, it's your lucky hour Damon. That stake was made especially for you. Now I'm going to have to make a new one. But I hope you enjoy your time until I'm done." The man said with a grin. He turned and nodded to another dark headed guy standing behind him. The guy nodded back with a grin and stepped up to Damon.

"Take your time." Damon said sarcastically through gritted teeth.

"Damon." I whispered taking his hand.

"Back up!" Jules said pulling me away from him.

The new guy in front of Damon pulled out a bottle. He then began to spray Damon from head to foot in vervain. I could hear the slight hiss from it burning his skin. He almost screamed in pain, but then I noticed him look over at me. He saw the pain written across my face and suddenly he quieted. Just the look on his face, tight with pain gave away any sign of his distress. He was trying to protect me. He was trying to hide the pain from me so it didn't hurt me. The guy torturing Damon smiled brightly taking out a large metal spike. He drove into Damon's shoulder.

Damon groaned though his mouth stayed closed. His body shuddered against the pain, sweat rolling down his face. The guy leaned into Damon.

"You are going to die today." The guy laughed as he watched Damon begin to convulse from the pain. Then he back up and began to stab Damon, in the legs, in the hands, in the neck and the stomach, over and over.

"Stop it! Please!" I begged through tears.

Everyone was laughing, they were laughing and it suddenly became a dark hell for me. I watched Damon closely through the laughing crowd. He was making a gasping noise over and over. I noticed tears actually running down his face and that is when I couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop!" I screamed. I jerked out of Jules grasp and made it up to Damon.

"Elena, please, just go." Damon barely managed to say.

"No, I won't leave you." I whispered, kneeling by his side.

"I want you to leave." He tried to say more firmly.

"Listen to him, get out!" The man said in front of Damon. He reached down and grabbed me under the arm and stood me up. "Your distracting me from the truly painful things I have planned for him." He grinned.

Just as I was about to fight him off, he was suddenly struck towards me and fell to the floor. Elijah had come back to life and as he tossed the stake aside he pulled a bottle from his pocket and threw it to the floor. The tiny glass vile filled with dark green liquid shattered and only moments later everyone besides Damon, Elijah and myself hit the floor in what seemed like unconsciousness.

Get him out of here, get back to the boarding house." Elijah said. I turned and began to pull at the chains around Damon. I turned back to look at Elijah once more and he was already gone. I found the key on the guy who was making a new stake and unlocked Damon from the chair. He stood and and staggered into me.

"It's okay." I whispered over and over.

The car ride home was very quiet. I had such mixed feelings I wanted to scream to break the silence. Not only was I horrified at Stefan over what I had learned, and still shaken up from watching Damon be hurt like that...but Damon said that he loved me. We kissed. Somewhere in my mind, filled with sadness and anger there was a glint of light circling its way around my troubles. Sending a strange nervous excitement straight to my heart. But the silence continued until I pulled into the drive. Damon opened the door and looked back at me. He looked tired and withdrawn.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

Damon shrugged and his familiar dazzling grin stretched across his face.

"Torture...been there, done that." He smiled. Then just like that...he was gone and inside the boarding house.

I got back to my house and ate a quick meal while talking to Jen as if nothing had happened to me that day. Luckily I had managed to change upstairs before she could see the dirt, and the rips and the traces of blood on my cloths. I made it upstairs and took a long shower. I had just climbed in bed when Stefan appeared in my room.

"You came by the boarding house and didn't even say hello?" Stefan asked in the nicest tone he could. Although it was painfully obvious that he was angry.

I stared at him for a moment and sat up on the edge of my bed.

"How did you know I came by."

"Damon said you dropped him off?" I noticed the hint of aggravation in his voice. "Why were you dropping Damon off?" He asked.

"He didn't tell you?" I asked truly surprised.

"He said you picked him up from soccer practice so no, I would say I don't know all of the facts." He snapped.

"The wolves, they dragged him away out of the hospital parking lot. They chained him up, tortured him. Funny thing is though Stefan, Jules said you're the one who told them that Damon was responsible for Mason and that they should come get him." I said.

Stefan's face fell to what looked like confusion.

"What?"

"This is the second time you've lied to me about where you were the other day, are you seriously going for confused now?" I asked, standing up.

"Elena, I haven't seen the wolves since the night with Caroline." He answered.

I crossed me arms and waited for him to come clean.

He looked at me wide eyed for what seemed like a while.

"I'm telling you the truth!" He said. "I can't believe you're so bent on taking her word over mine." He said angrily.

"You've already lied once to me." I said.

"Yes Elena, I lied but this is the truth, I haven't spoken to any of them. I wouldn't do that." He said convincingly.

"Fine, I'm sorry. I should have talked to you first." I said quietly, starting to doubt more what Jules said.

Stefan stood for a moment and then crossed the room. He pulled me close to him and hugged me close.

"I'm sorry." I repeated.

The next day after welcoming Jeremy home I decided to go to the boarding house. I was feeling guilty about blaming Stefan so harshly by the word of an enemy. I knocked on the door.

"Come in."

I walked in and found Damon walking down the hall holding an arm full of cloths and heading to his room.

"Hey, what's that?" I asked motioning towards the cloths.

"Oh just a few things of Stephans that would look much better on me." He grinned.

I smiled. "Where is Stephan?" I asked suddenly noticing he was gone.

"Not really sure, he had questions about what happened to us yesterday so he said he was going to go talk to someone. I really don't know, you know Stephan …." Damon said.

I followed him into his room where he began to shove the cloths in his drawers.

"Do you know when he'll be back?" I asked.

He shrugged. "He just left."

"So did the star pupil of drivers ed make it home today?" He asked about Jeremy, studying some of his stolen shirts.

"Yeah, he got home today. I'm glad he's home, it's been weird without him there." I said.

I noticed something strange and it occurred to me that it was the fact that Damon was making small talk. That just doesn't happen with him. He was uncomfortable and suddenly it was very obvious.

"Damon, about yesterday." I said.

"Elena, just stop right there. I'm sorry I made you forget. But I hope you understand that it was out of selflessness that I did. I just...I know you're with Stefan and it wasn't right for me to say it but I just wanted to so badly." His eyes filled with true sincerity looked away after a moment and he looked back down at the cloths.

I didn't know what to say so I stood there looking around his room. The last time I had been I here was when Rose was in the bed dying. I took a deep breath and walked up to Damon. I walked up so close to him that he had no choice but to look at me.

"Damon, I'm sorry you made me forget to. You should have just told me." I said.

"What difference would it have made?" He asked.

At this point we were standing mere inches from each other. I could see the small details in his eyes. The slight silver that lined the blue. I could feel the electricity in the air between us.

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore." I whispered, feeling warm tears forming in my eyes. Because I looked pained, his face mirrored mine with the same pain.

I raised his hand and I felt it slide across my cheek and his fingers slid to the back of my neck. He leaned in and kissed me lightly on my forehead. My eyes closed as I felt like my body was fleeting. I didn't feel the floor beneath my feet, or the open air around my skin. My head felt light. When he back away the only thing I could see was the perfect smooth planes of his face. His blue eyes alive and dilated. And as he searched my face for what I was thinking took in the perfection of his lashes that touched the tops of his cheeks when he blinked. Then I took the plunge and kissed him deeply. His hands slid down to the small of my back. He kissed me back with true passion. I stepped into him and held myself closer to him. Our kiss turned wild, like a man nearly thirsted to death with a cool glass of water. I slipped his shirt over his head and I did the same with mine. The feel of his chest, his stomach smooth against mine made me dizzy. Our breathing was loud in the silent room, the sound of us kissing rang in my head. I reached for the buttons on his jeans. He suddenly backed away and put is hands on my shoulders as if to block me.

"Elena, think about what you're doing." He said, his voice raspy and breathless.

"I know exactly what I'm doing." I said as I jerked his hands off my shoulders and flew back into him. Our lips met again with even more violence. I felt the back of my bra come loose and fall. He ran his hands down my bare back. Suddenly my feet left the floor and Damon laid me down into the cool sheets of his bed. He hovered over me, pressing his mouth deep into my neck. I couldn't help but to notice how predatory it was. How much like a victim I probably looked. It drove me wild and I couldn't help but to moan softly in his ear. And then that was it, we were making love, the deepest, passionate, beautiful love.

I grasped the sheets tightly in my hands uncontrollably and almost screamed in pleasure. Damon leaned into my ear.

"I love you." He whispered.

**Please leave reviews :D It shouldn't be a long wait this time for the next chapter. But let me know. **


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